Broken Little Pieces
by WarpedRubberBand
Summary: They broke her, smashed her, ground her into pieces. The least they could do was try to put her back together.


Broken _Little_** Pieces**

Many shinobi turned to the bottle at some point in their careers. Perhaps they're seen too much blood, too many deaths and lost far too many friends. Often, it was an act of desperation, to escape their horrible, twisted world of war and pain. It allowed them to disappear and forget the terrible things. Shinobi all saw the dark side of the human soul, of human hearts of stone and blood. There were moments that it threatened to suffocate them, the blackness that grew around their very cold hearts, around their very being. And oh, how it hurt. It would seem at times, that your chest was being ripped apart, rib by rib; and sliced away into crimson ribbons of flesh. The pain would never go away.

Sometimes, they would dream. For fleeting moments during the night, they could see the mutilated corpses of comrades and enemies alike. The blood on their hands would seem so real, running through their fingers and down their arms. The metallic scent never faded. It was a feeling that never left, no matter how hard they scrubbed in the morning. Their dreams weren't safe anymore, as the single thing that no one could control. There were several ninja who feared sleep, for the images they would see and the horrific moments that would replay in their minds, like a violent never-ending film.

Their blood-stained world threatened to engulf them, to smother them, to bring them under. Sometimes shinobi drowned.

Sasuke Uchiha was familiar, almost too familiar with the ways of a ninja. Such things had become a regular occurrence in his life. Revenge, hate and pain were normal. The cycle wouldn't end any time soon; it was a constant, a controlled variable. He appreciated it, the stability that it brought him. The darkness was always there, a looming shadow over his shoulder. There were times that the shadows would become him, creating a demon all to its own. The monster required his constant attention, for fear that it run free of its cage.

He hadn't expected to see her there, downing alcohol as quickly as humanly possible. It was rare to see her drinking, Sakura often avoided alcohol. She stated repeatedly that it inhibited her ability to work, and it muddled her thoughts. Even when in the presence of her shishou, there was always a pot of tea or a glass of iced water found amongst the many drinks ordered by Tsunade. Sasuke could also note that she was always much happier in the presence of friends and mentors. Now, the rose haired kunoichi was hardly recognizable as the same person. There were anger and sadness lines that had not been present even just a few days ago. Her eyes were a dull and clouded, as opposed to their usual bright viridian shade and her strawberry hair, unkempt, was tied back into a sloppy ponytail.

Instinctively, he moved into the seat next to her. There was a nod of acknowledgement. Since Kakashi had been named the future Seventh, Team Seven had disbanded and gone their separate ways. Sasuke had advanced to jounin rapidly, for a traitor; though many suspected it was because of the insistences of Naruto. Naruto himself had received the praise of many of the villagers and shinobi alike after defeating Pein. Sakura had also joined ANBU, but had shortly thereafter resigned to mentor the new genin graduates from the Academy. Their paths had parted, and it appeared that the old comrades had yet to look back.

For a while, no words were spoken. It wasn't uncomfortable; Sasuke welcomed the quiet, he relished it. There were no expectations or suspicions in silence; it was a language all to its own.

"Would you do me a favour, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's hiccup broke the pleasant quiet, aside from the other bars inhabitants hushed words. She downed the last of the amber liquid in her glass, and motioned to the bartender for another drink.

"Hm?" Sasuke ran his fingers down the side of his cup, glancing up at her before staring blankly into its contents. His reply was neither affirmative, nor rejection to her unspoken request. It was unusual that she would ask anything from him, though he had to admit the entire situation was out of the ordinary. It had been months since their last encounter, and even back then, it had been pure chance that she'd been the only medic available at the hospital to do his the post-mission check-up.

"Six years ago," She began, running a hand through her rosy hair, before being interrupted by Sasuke's groan. He did not want to talk about his mistakes and failures of years ago. It would defeat the purpose of his presence here, to forget everything of the past and present, and the never changing future. He wanted it all the definite lines to blend together and create a new life than the one he currently lived.

Sakura punched his arm. "Don't do that." He stifled a grunt and rubbed his shoulder. Even drunk, Sakura had not held back on her inhuman strength. "It's not that sort of story. Now shut up, and listen." She shot him a glare before continuing to speak.

"Anyways, six years ago, we were a team. You, me and Naruto," She pointed at herself, her raven haired comrade and waved into the air at Naruto's name. Her breath smelled heavily of liquor. "Oh yeah, and Kakashi-sensei too." Sakura nodded at the mention of the silver haired man, and sipped at her drink.

Sakura placed her head down on the scuffed bar counter, face turned towards him and a small grin appeared on her face. "And it was great. For once, it was like having a family, with the four of us." She smiled to herself, trailing her fingertips along the side of her misted glass. Sasuke watched tiny water droplets slipped down the side of the crystalline cup and spill down to the wooden tabletop.

"Then," Sakura frowned, and the somewhat cheerful atmosphere vanished in an instant. "Then there was the Chunin exam." She said flatly, displaying her unhappiness at the memory.

There was a loud crash, and the sound swallowed Sakura's next few words. Loud, booming laughter followed as a man tipped back in his chair and toppled down to the floor. Shouts and guffaws came from his comrades as they helped him up and each man returned to their drinks. The two shinobi at the bar glanced back for a moment before turning back to the other.

Sasuke gave his hand a lazy wave, motioning for her to continue, and to show that he was still listening to the one-sided conversation.

"We worked as a team, and you two grew stronger. I was proud of you both. Because you were strong, you were special and that made me happy. For once in my miserable, useless life, I was _happy, _dammit. But you just got up and left. You walked away like nothing mattered. You _left_, Sasuke. And you took Naruto with you."

Though it was tempting to say that he had not taken Naruto away from her, the blond ninja had followed as per the promise she made him keep; it still seemed to be Sakura's turn to speak. He wanted to tell her that he hadn't left out of spite or anger at his former team. Sasuke simply hadn't been advancing at a speed that suited his goals. It was a requirement, the sooner Itachi had died, the sooner he could let it go. He could've started over, a completely new life anywhere and everywhere. Sakura and Naruto just wouldn't let him. Why _couldn't_ they let him go?

Why couldn't they see that it was what he wanted, let alone what he _needed_?

"You took me and smashed me and broke me." Sakura stated, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced up at her, to meet her chilly glare. There was a momentary pause as she glanced down at the empty cup, before proceeding to slam it down on the bar with a bang. Sasuke flinched unwillingly.

Sakura took a breath, before turning to stare back into his onyx orbs. "What I need you to do… I need all of you, to pick up the broken, little pieces." She finished, holding the broken glass in her hand, droplets of crimson liquid trickling down her wrist and fingers where the crystalline shards had pierced her skin. Sakura dropped the shards of bloody glass onto the table and floor, receiving a displeased glare from the bartender. Sasuke remained silent, uncertain how to answer, or even if he should.

"I need you to put me back together. I need every one of you to go back and pick up the broken little pieces." She repeated her words. "You have put them all back. There might be parts that have been smashed beyond recognition or maybe they won't fit back together properly. And I don't care. I just want you to try, Sasuke. _Try _for once in your godamned life, to not destroy everything you've ever touched. Put the pieces back together."

Sasuke was well aware, that he had hurt her, those many years ago. Though Sakura never spoke of his absence, he had heard from Naruto and Kakashi themselves. A resolve to become strong had come to fruition, and he no longer denied she had not become so. Sakura was a capable ninja, easily on par with the Fifth herself in terms of physical ability and intelligence. Sasuke could also see she was happy; he'd always imagined that it was better that he was no longer around to be the burden weighing down on everyone's mind. Or at least, he thought she had been. The cold steel in her words told a different story.

She had held a grudge, one that had grown stronger in time. Sakura was bitter, so terribly angry with them all, not just Sasuke himself. It seemed, to him, that she had crumbled, withered as each member of Team Seven slowly broke away. Perhaps she felt abandoned, as everyone around her chose to leave and become stronger. Sakura hadn't had a choice in how her life was playing out, being constantly influenced by the decisions and actions of others. They all dragged her along, higher and higher, until they all peeled away and left Sakura without wings to fly. Team Seven had taught her to swim by tossing her in a lake and hoping she'd survive.

Sakura Haruno had been weak. She'd drowned. She'd fallen. She'd crumbled. And yet, Sakura Haruno had come out stronger.

The pink haired shinobi wiped her bloody, butchered hands on her skirt, without so much as a second glance in his direction. She slapped money down on the counter, and gave a half-hearted mocking salute to the last Uchiha, before heading towards the exit. Sasuke turned in his seat, watching her retreating back disappear behind a closing door. He always felt like that. Ever since he'd returned, people had always been closing doors. Maybe it was time to start opening them.

Sasuke turned back to the bartender and ordered another drink.

* * *

_-fin-_


End file.
